Amir Yaseen

Srinagar, July 6

Jude Bellingham produced a dazzling first-half display, Harry Kane added a crucial penalty and 10-man England survived a furious late push from co-host Mexico to claim a gripping 3-2 victory on Sunday and secure a place in the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals.

The Three Lions will now face Norway in Miami on July 11 after overcoming one of the tournament’s most dramatic Round of 16 contests, playing nearly the entire second half with a man down following Jarell Quansah’s dismissal.

Backed by a passionate home crowd at Mexico City Stadium, Mexico controlled much of the early possession, but England struck with ruthless efficiency.

Bellingham opened the scoring in the 36th minute, rising above the defense to head home Bukayo Saka’s inviting cross. Before the hosts could recover, England struck again almost immediately. Mexico surrendered possession from the restart, Kane released Bellingham, and the Real Madrid midfielder calmly slotted home his second goal in barely two minutes.

The quick-fire double stunned the stadium, but Mexico refused to fold.

Julián Quiñones reignited the contest in the 42nd minute, smashing a powerful finish beyond Jordan Pickford from close range. Moments later, Pickford preserved England’s lead with a spectacular save to deny Raúl Jiménez an equalizer before halftime.

The drama intensified after the break.

England nearly restored their two-goal cushion when Nico O’Reilly struck the post before Quansah was shown a straight red card in the 54th minute for a challenge on Jesús Gallardo, forcing Thomas Tuchel’s side to play the remainder of the match with 10 men.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, England extended their lead.

Mexico goalkeeper Raúl Rangel brought down Anthony Gordon inside the penalty area, and Kane made no mistake from the spot in the 60th minute, drilling home his sixth goal of the tournament to make it 3-1.

The England captain soon found himself at the center of another pivotal moment—this time at the opposite end. Kane fouled Brian Gutiérrez inside the box, and after a VAR review, Mexico was awarded a penalty. Jiménez converted confidently in the 69th minute to cut the deficit to one.

Roared on by the home supporters, Mexico poured forward in the closing stages in search of a dramatic equalizer, but England’s defense stood firm to preserve a memorable victory and keep its World Cup title ambitions alive.

Bellingham, named the Michelob Ultra Superior Player of the Match, also reached a significant milestone. At 23 years and six days old, he became the youngest player in World Cup history to reach 10 tournament appearances, surpassing Mario Kempes’ long-standing record set in 1978.

England manager Thomas Tuchel praised his team’s resilience after navigating a chaotic second half.

“I’m very proud,” Tuchel said. “We needed everything. It was super difficult. In the moments we thought we had the momentum, we had setbacks. That is proper mentality. When the going gets tough, they never give up, they never lose belief.”

Mexico coach Javier Aguirre applauded his players despite the heartbreaking defeat.

“I can’t fault my team for anything,” Aguirre said. “We did everything we could, and they’re a great team. This is the top level – you can’t make mistakes because they’ll cost you dearly.”

England now turns its attention to a quarter-final showdown against a confident Norway side led by the prolific Erling Haaland, with a place in the World Cup semi-finals at stake.

Match information, quotes, and photos courtesy of FIFA.com